The late-night knock on the door startled Allura. She was just now ready to call it a night but had assumed that the tired members of the Voltron team would have long been asleep. It was their first mission since Keith had resumed flying the Black lion and once again the bickering between the paladins meant things didn't go as smoothly as they should have. The others still resented Keith's long absence with the Blade of Marmora, making them slow to warm to his leadership.
She opened the door to see a haggard Keith.
"Please, come in. Have a seat," the Princess insisted, motioning to a couch in the sitting area of her bedroom.
"I'm not going to stay long, I just needed to give you something," the young pilot replied as his body swayed slightly.
Realizing he was unsteady on his feet, Allura decided to take a different tack to get him to rest. "I'm too tired to stand another second," she complained, "and Coran will understand you being in my room if it's related to Voltron affairs."
She noted that Keith blushed a little and shifted uncomfortably at the word. Allura made a mental note to ask Pidge later if it had a different meaning on Earth. The fact that he chose to sit on the far end of the sofa, well away from where she sat, indicated it likely did.
"So, what brings you here at this hour?" she asked, quirking her eyebrow to show that she was curious, not annoyed.
The Captain looked down at his hands as he contorted his fingers in and out of a fist. "I wanted you to take care of something for me."
Now the Princess was genuinely concerned. Could he be planning to leave again? Did Lance's constant badgering force him to give up already? In her mind she began to formulate any number of arguments against such a distasteful idea. If he planned to leave she would not let him go easily this time.
Her thoughts distracted her so much she missed him pulling his Marmoran blade from its sheath. He didn't seem to notice that she wasn't looking, either; the glimmer of the light bouncing off metal was what brought her back to reality.
"I want you to keep this for me," he continued. To her ears he sounded conflicted by the offering.
As he extended the hilt towards her she saw that his hand was trembling slightly. It was understandable, seeing that it was a family heirloom and his go-to weapon.
In fact, that's what had begun the tension with the team to start. Hunk pointed out that he was using it instead of his bayard, questioning Keith's determination to stay with the Voltron force instead of migrating back to the Blades. None of the others seemed to notice the hurt in his eyes at the accusation. Allura stepped in to remind the others that their leader had returned because he wanted to, not because he was forced. They quieted down a bit after that, but the glares they shot at him seemed to land like bullets. It had been a while since she saw Keith flinch around them.
"Why do you want to give this to me?" She held her breath for what seemed like forever while he worked up a response he was satisfied with.
Finally his eyes were able to meet hers as he spoke. "I need you to trust me," he sighed. "I need you to know that I'm all in."
Allura reached over to place her hand over his, slowly pulling the knife from him. She cradled the cold blade in her other hand, marvelling over the fine craftsmanship.
That he worried so much over something that didn't particularly bother her left a pain in her chest as tears began to well up. While she didn't want to push Keith out of the room too quickly, she wasn't sure how long she could hold them back.
"I...I can't accept this," she responded, turning her head slightly toward the shadows. She hastily dropped the knife on the table in front of them. "You don't owe me anything. I've done nothing to deserve your loyalty. And yet you've come back to me- I mean the team- time and time again."
At this she stood quickly, intending to usher Keith to the door. Instead his voice stopped her suddenly.
"I'll always come back to you," was all he said, and that was all it took.
The dam burst and Allura began to weep. She knew he probably meant "you" in a plural sense, yet she wanted it to be directed at her exclusively. Regret for every time she had asked him "please come back to us" instead of "please come back to me" washed over her.
The Princess realized things had gotten even more awkward and expected Keith to rush out of the room. Instead he gently pulled her by the wrist back onto the sofa, this time much closer to him. His hands grasped hers, his thumbs rubbing her fingers in an attempt to calm her. Allura attempted a smile to assure him that she would be okay, although she imagined it looked more pained than comforted.
"Let me do this. Let me prove myself to you and to the others," he continued. "I need to be sure the team works together. I need to be sure everyone comes back safely... especially you."
Allura almost didn't hear the last part as his voice dropped to a whisper.
Keith felt the sweat on his back shift directions as he maneuvered to avoid the sword swinging wildly at his head. Few Galra carried such weapons so the Black Paladin was caught off guard when the first hit landed on his shoulder. He was glad to be back in his armor since it provided somewhat better protection than his Marmora suit, but it did stick out amongst the dark shadows of the destroyer he had boarded. The grey-clad soldier he was fighting had the advantage here.
Suddenly the crack of a whip sounded from his left; its electrified barbs latched onto their target before bringing the convulsing body to the ground before him. Keith smiled when he saw Allura approach, although he quickly ducked his head to hide it lest the other paladins be nearby.
"Thanks, that was a tough one," he offered quietly, fighting every urge in his body to run over and hug the Princess.
"I'm just glad I got here in time. You never used to struggle like that," she noted, her voice filled with concern.
Keith returned the bayard to its original form and put it away. He was annoyed that after several weeks he still didn't feel right wielding it. It felt clumsy compared to his blade, but he would simply have to learn to use it again.
"Just a bit off today, no big deal," he replied, offering a quick thumbs-up to reiterate his statement.
Allura stepped in front of him, forcing him to look at her. He could tell she wasn't convinced by the set of her jaw and the furrow of her brow.
"You say that every time," she countered angrily. "You're going to get yourself killed like this."
"Get himself killed like what?" Pidge stepped through the doorway and looked at the two of them. "What'd he do this time?"
Soon Lance appeared behind her and propped himself against the doorframe, his arms crossed as he studied the scene. "I'm guessing he did something stupid like using his head as a battering ram."
"Maybe he tried to blow something up without thinking," chimed Hunk, who had been skulking in the hallway.
"Enough!" shouted Allura, startling everyone into silence.
Keith instinctively took a step backwards towards the darkened corner of the room. The Princess rarely shouted at the paladins and he desperately hoped an argument wouldn't begin. Certainly not one that centered around him.
Allura looked back at Keith, then took a deep breath before pulling the Marmora blade from her armor. The others looked confused as to why she was holding it, but none dared question her. The Black paladin's eyes met hers and they never wavered, even as she approached him.
She reached for his hand and pulled it towards her, palm up. "It's time I returned this to its rightful owner," she conceded, placing the knife in his palm.
The Captain was taken aback, unsure how to respond. He'd given this to her as a sign of his faithfulness to her as well as to the cause. Had he done something make her question his loyalty? His body began to tremble and his throat tightened so that he could barely breathe.
"Princess, whatever I did I'm sorry," he muttered, not wanting to engage the others in their personal conversation. "I'll make it right, I'll-"
Allura didn't allow him to finish. She leaned in to give him a chaste kiss on the lips before stepping back to offer him a genuine smile. It wasn't their first kiss- far from it- which was much more passionate on the night he gave her the knife, but it sent shivers down his spine nonetheless.
"What the quiznak?!" echoed a chorus of voices from behind Allura. Keith had momentarily forgotten they were watching the entire transaction.
"Anything you'd like to share with the rest of us?" demanded Lance, slinking closer to the couple.
"As a matter of fact, there is," Allura retorted. "Keith is the leader of Voltron. He's also a member of the Blade. The fact that he's here with us now stands as proof of his loyalty to the team. His actions in the past reflect his fidelity to the cause. He has earned his place as the leader of Voltron and you will respect that."
The rest of the team stood silent, mouths agape- even Keith. It wasn't that he had never heard those words from her, just that she'd never uttered them in front of the others. If he were being honest he'd have to say that he fell in love with her all over again at that moment. Still, he didn't understand the reason she was giving his blade back to him.
"Keith," she started, as if answering his unasked question. "Someday you will give this back to me, and if the fates allow to our child. But you need to survive for that to happen, so keep it as long as you are a soldier. You can't come back to me if you can't defend yourself."
Allura spoke in a hushed tone so that the others couldn't hear, but Keith understood every word.